Clippings: Rivers tells Clippers to prepare for “not normal” future

Doc Rivers was on the Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast this week, and the LA Clippers coach had a lot to say during the wide-ranging conversation.

For those wondering how the coach is weathering the coronavirus shutdown, Rivers said he’s working hard to stay in touch.

“I try every day to reach out to three or four players and talk to them. I’m doing a bunch of zoom sessions with my coaches and some front office [members],” he said.

Among the advantages of a sudden shutdown of the season? Rivers is taking the time to take stock and evaluate the sample while looking ahead to the playoffs.

“It’s unusual that you have a 60-game blueprint,” he explained. “And you can look at what you’ve done well, what you don’t do well, what you should have done more. We’re going over player combinations, rotations. We’re already diving into our playoff opponents analytically. We’ve narrowed it down to possibly three teams, so we’re already starting to work on that as a staff.”

Rivers said that while players are trying their best to stay in shape, with at least one player being told to stop driving around to empty parks to shoot some hoops, he did admit he’s at a loss as to what will happen to the NBA in the coming months.

“I’ve given up guessing because it’s tough to do. I’ve heard the NCAA play — tournament style — I’ve heard one location style, which probably is the safest when you think of it in that way. The no fans, five games, 10 games, straight to the playoffs...What I’m telling our guys is to be ready and we will use no excuses, because it’s not going to be normal. That’s what I’m telling my guys everyday. They ask everyday, ‘When are we going to play?’ Like I know? I tell them I don’t know, but prepare for something that’s not normal. And let that not be the reason we don’t win. That can’t be our reason.”

Otherwise, Doc is like the rest of us right now: “I’m watching way too much TV and eating way too much, as well.”

You can listen to the full interview, including a nice breakdown of Rivers’ evolution with Lou Williams, on the Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman Podcast.

More news for Friday:

• Coaches stay in touch: Another Rivers reference, briefly in this ESPN profile on how coaches are managing the break. The Clippers boss has been texting with colleagues around the league during this time.
• Clippers in season’s best game: This feature in SB Nation includes two Clippers games, including the No. 1 ranked one, considered the best in the current season according to an algorithm. Unfortunately, that top-ranked game wasn’t a Clips win.
• “LA Originals” documentary coming: Netflix has a new documentary coming up next week, on two members of the Los Angeles contemporary Chicano art scene, called “LA Originals.” There’s supposed to be a brief Clippers connection, according to this preview story. The movie drops April 10.
• Your zoom type: The video chat has really taken off in the last few weeks as many of us are stuck at home, and The Ringer has a humorous take on the eight types of zoom users. Full disclosure: I am definitely a Manicured Tableau.

Today’s question: It’s an easy one — what’s your zoom type?